Essay: The atheist movement lacks heavy, intellectual artillery

Richard Carrier at the launch of the Atheism plus movement wrote: "I am fully on board. I will provide any intellectual artillery they need to expand this cause and make it successful.[1]

In October of 2014, the popular YouTube atheist Thunderf00t commented on how Jen McCreight, the founder of the atheist feminist movement Atheism plus abandoned her movement within two weeks. Thunderfoot also commented on how Richard Carrier "the intellectual artillery" of the movement, quit promoting the movement within a month.[2]

Does Richard Carrier lack machismo?

One of the definitions of machismo is an "exhilarating sense of power or strength".[3] Olé! Olé! Olé!

"Masculinity, for example, is a cultural construct that can be quite toxic, yet extremely difficult to escape if that’s how you were raised, worse if it remains the environment pressuring you to conform." - Atheist Richard Carrier[4]

"Masculinity, for example, is a cultural construct that can be quite toxic, yet extremely difficult to escape if that’s how you were raised, worse if it remains the environment pressuring you to conform." - Atheist Richard Carrier[5]

Jesus Christ and the Old Testament prophets taught that human nature is evil. Jesus said, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11: 13). The prophet Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). In addition, the Bible teaches that men are in need of redemption and the power of God to reform (See: Bible verses about redemption and Bible verses on transformation).

Human history with its many injustices and atrocities shows that the testimony of Jesus and the Old Testament prophets is true concerning the wickedness of mankind. In addition, when the Christian evangelist Ray Comfort asks atheists if they have ever lied, hated another person, stolen, lusted after the opposite sex and engaged in other immoralities, they invariably indicate they have done these things and still commit various acts of immorality.[7] If person repents of their sins, accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, God regenerates them and their enslavement to sin is broken (see: Good news)[8]

Richard Carrier, adultery, divorce and polyamory

Richard Carrier divorced his wife and now practices polyamory.[9] Before divorcing his wife, he was involved in adulterous affairs.[10]

Richard Carrier has a post up announcing that he's "polyamorous", which he calls his "sexual orientation". He's been adulterous in his relationship with his wife, and they decided to get a divorce after having tried polyamory for a while. In the thread, he refers to how he has "sympathy for people who cheat on their spouses", how he's come across "many" polyamorists, and how he's become more convinced that "monogamy is the actual problem". So far, most of the responses at his blog are positive.[11]

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Previously, as noted above, Carrier wrote a book entitled Sense and Goodness without God. Carrier was not good without God! Once again, Jesus was right! See also: Atheist hypocrisy.

Ladies, don't marry an atheist

Ladies, don't marry an atheist! They cannot be good without God. Behind your back, they will scowl at your mother's picture of Jesus. Jesus said human nature was evil! He was right! See also: Irreligion and domestic violence

For years, many people have scoffed at any suggestion that the evils in society could be linked with the teaching of the theory of evolution. But new research has confirmed what Bible-believers have known all along—that the rising acceptance of Darwin’s theory is related to declining morality in the community.

The research survey of 1535 people, conducted by the Australian National University, revealed that belief in evolution is associated with moral permissiveness. Darwin himself apparently feared that belief in evolution by the common man would lead to social decay. The survey showed that people who believed in evolution were more likely to be in favour of premarital sex than those who rejected Darwin’s theory. Another issue which highlighted the contrast between the effect of evolutionary ideas and that of biblical principles was that Darwinians were reported to be ‘especially tolerant’ of abortion.

In identifying the primary factors determining these differences in community attitudes, the author of the research report, Dr Jonathan Kelley, said: ‘The single most important influence after church attendance is the theory of evolution.’[12]

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The atheist "historian" Richard Carrier

Carrier has a B.A. in History, with a minor in Classical Civilization, from the University of California at Berkeley (1997), an M.A. in Ancient History from Columbia University (1998), an M.Phil. in Ancient History, from Columbia University (2000), and a Ph.D. in Ancient History from Columbia University (2008). [13]

However, within individuals, families and societies irreligion/religion can have an effect on intelligence - especially over time (See: Atheism and intelligence).

Flynn effect on intelligence: Secular/religious countries

The Flynn effect is the significant and long-sustained increase intelligence test scores measured in many parts of the world from roughly 1930 to the present.[20] In some secular, economically developed countries, the Flynn effect has ceased and their scores on standardized intelligence tests are falling.[21] However, the Flynn effect is continuing in developing countries which tend to be more religious (see: Intelligence trends in religious countries and secular countries).

Atheist population is lacking in confidence

Worldwide, the march of religion can probably only be reversed by a renewed, self-aware secularism. Today, it appears exhausted and lacking in confidence... Secularism's greatest triumphs owe less to science than to popular social movements like nationalism, socialism and 1960s anarchist-liberalism. Ironically, secularism's demographic deficit means that it will probably only succeed in the twenty-first century if it can create a secular form of 'religious' enthusiasm." - the agnostic professor Eric Kaufmann, Birbeck College, University of London, UK, 2010[24]

God's wisdom versus human wisdom

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1: 18-31 (ESV version)[25]